Jerome watched closely.
The same pattern.
The same dismissive tone.
The same unwillingness to help.
The woman eventually stepped aside, looking defeated.
Jerome felt something tighten in his chest.
This was exactly what the complaints had described.
He quietly took out his internal company phone.
It was a device only senior executives had access to.
With a few taps, he entered the hotel's private reservation system.
He searched his own name.
Jerome Carter.
The result appeared immediately.
Reservation confirmed.
Room assigned.
Everything was exactly as expected.
But then he noticed something else.
A status change.
Reservation manually deleted.
Jerome stared at the screen.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he opened the details.
The person responsible was listed clearly.
Deleted by Kimberly Evans.
His expression became completely still.
Not angry.
Not surprised.
Just disappointed.
Because now he knew.
This was not a mistake.
It was intentional.
Jerome looked across the lobby.
Kim was still sitting behind the front desk.
Scrolling through her phone.
Completely unaware that her actions had just been discovered.
Jerome saved a screenshot.
Then he stood.
Slowly.
Calmly.
He walked back toward the front desk.
Kim looked up when she saw him approaching.
Her confident expression returned.
"Mr. Carter, is there anything else I can help you with?"
Jerome stopped in front of her.
He looked at her for several seconds.
Then he spoke.
"Miss Evans, before I leave, I have one question."
Kim raised an eyebrow.
"Go ahead."
Jerome reached into his coat and pulled out the internal phone.
He placed it on the counter.
"Why did you delete my reservation?"
The change in Kim's face was immediate.
The confidence disappeared.
Her eyes widened.
She looked at the screen.
Then at Jerome.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about."
Jerome remained calm.
"You personally removed my reservation from the system."
Kim shook her head quickly.
"There must be some kind of mistake."
"No."
Jerome's voice became firmer.
"The system did not make this decision. You did."
The lobby became quieter.
Several nearby guests began paying attention.
Kim lowered her voice.
"Sir, I think you're misunderstanding the situation."
Jerome looked directly into her eyes.
"No, Miss Evans. I understand perfectly."
He paused.
"What I don't understand is why."
Kim said nothing.
For the first time, she looked uncertain.
The man standing in front of her was no longer just an elderly guest wearing simple clothes.
He was someone she could not intimidate.
Jerome continued.
"I want to know how many other customers have experienced this."
Kim looked away.